Victoria Travel Forum

Is their a public transportation from ferry terminal to the gardens, or I must go to Victoria first.
I plan to have one day trip from Vancouver to Victoria. Is it possible to travel to the gardens directly from the ferry terminal, spent several hours in the gardens, then visit Victoria and catch late ferry to Vancouver

Yes, it's possible to visit the gardens before or after Victoria. Apparently the gardens are busier in the morning than in the afternoon because all the tour buses go there in the morning - just so you know.

Do you have of map of this region? It makes more sense if you know where the ferry terminals are. You may want to consider taking a tour because public transit otherwise takes a long time if you only have one day.

From Vancouver to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal is a 45 minute drive (or a 1.5+ bus ride which includes one transfer at the airport bus station).

In the summer the ferries go every hour. If you're just walking on the ferry, you can merely show up as late as 10 minutes before the hour and you should be able to board the ferry.

The ferry takes 1 hour and 35 minutes to cross. It doesn't arrive in Victoria, but in Swartz Bay. Swartz Bay is a 40 minute drive north of Victoria. But Swartz Bay is actually closer to Butchart Gardens. If you have a map of Greater Victoria, the Butchart Gardens are actually in the town called Brentwood Bay. You can take bus there from the ferry terminal, but it involves one transfer. I think it takes less than one hour.

Most people say you need 2 hours minimum at the gardens.

Once you want to leave the gardens, you can take a bus into downtown Victoria, but I do think it involves a transfer. It probably takes one hour or less.

Once you're in downtown Victoria, the downtown blocks are very tiny and everything is located within the same few blocks - at least all the touristy things. You probably won't have time for the Royal BC Museum as you'd want at least 3 hours there, but I think it's the best museum in all of BC. It doesn't take long to tour the Parliament building or walk around the Empress. You may want to spend longer browsing in the shops and getting a feel for downtown. It is, however, pretty tourist trappy so be aware. To get away from the touristy feel, you can walk down Fort Street (some antique shops, cafes, etc) about 15 minutes to Cook Street. Then head south on Cook Street where you'll get more of a local neighbourhood feel. At the southern end of Cook Street is not only Beacon Hill Park, but a series of staircases leading down to the beach. It's a rocky beach, but a nice change from downtown Victoria.

... and once you're ready to leave Victoria, there is a bus that goes from downtown Victoria to the Swartz Bay ferry terminal but it takes a little over one hour (as it only takes the highway partially and then meanders through all the neighbouring villages/suburbs before arriving at the terminal).

Alternately, if you want to get back to Vancouver quickly, you can book ahead and reserve a direct seaplane from downtown Victoria to downtown Vancouver. It costs about $120 per person one way (and that's with either Harbour Air or West Coast Air - both offer essentially the same service). Or if you want to splurge more than that, Helijet has helicopter service from downtown to downtown.

Or you can pay about $40 and take the Pacific Coach Lines bus. They pick you up in downtown Victoria behind the Empress Hotel, and they drive you directly to the ferry terminal and onto the ferry. During the ferry's journey, you get off the bus and head up to the upper decks of the ferry (where there are restaurants, cafes, seating areas, outdoor decks, gift shops, sometimes even a buffet or a super comfy/quiet VIP lounge - for extra $). And before you arrive in Tsawwassen, you get back on the bus, and it drives off the ferry and into downtown Vancouver. That's actually the most hassle-free way of getting between the two cities if you don't plan on having a car and you don't want to fly.

And while I'm on a role, I may as well mention Gray Line, West Coast Sightseeing, and Landsea Tours. All three companies offer day trips to Victoria from Vancouver. They pick you up at the hotel, bring you on the ferry, drive to Butchart Gardens and give you an hour. Then they drive you to Victoria, do a quick tour, and let you explore Victoria on your own for about 3 hours. Then they drive you back to the ferry and you're back in Vancouver by about 9pm. It's a 12 hour tour. Something to consider.